Implement supporting structure



Feb. 23, 1954 B. DA VALLE IMPLEMENT SUPPOR I UCTURE 2' Shets-Sheet 1'Filed Dec. 14, 1950 ATTORNEY Feb. 23, 1954 B. DA VALLE IMPLEMENTSUPPORTING STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1950 MN MW INVENTORBRUNO 0A n4: 1.5

4TTORN5) Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IMPLEMENTSUPPORTING STRUCTURE i Bruno Da, Valle, San Jose, Calif.

Application December 14, 1950, Serial No. 200,788

7 i 1 Claim. (01. 97-233) lifted bodily out of the ground as a turn ismade at the end of the rows.

In the planting of strawberry plants for example, it is customary toemploy two men to each planter unit and insofar as conventional practiceis concerned the mounting of two planter units in side-by-side relationbehind the draft vehicle has been the common practice. In ac cordancewith the instant invention four or more planter units can be mounted forplanting plurality of adjacent rows of strawberries or other plants andstill provide a desirable short turning radius with all of the planterunits lifted .out of the ground when turning at the end of the rows. Theabove and other objects of the invention are attained as described inconnection with a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure l is a plan view of thesupporting structure with some parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the structureadjusted to lift the planter units out of the ground.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a supporting structure I0connected by drawbar H to a draft or towing vehicle l2 such as atractor, a fragmentary portion of which is shown in Figure 1. Thesupporting structure'includes a horizontally disposed T-shaped frame Mwith the leg of the T extending longitudinally and with the cross bar ofthe T disposed rearwardly. Two front supporting wheels l6 are connectedby a horizontal transverse member or pipe H to the leg of the T and asingle rear supporting wheel I8 of the caster type mounted by means of abell crank H) in a bracket structure 21 on the T- shaped frame. Fourplanting units or ground working implements 22 of conventional construction are provided, two of these being mounted in adjustable inboardrelation between the two front wheels [6 on either side of the leg ofthe T and two of them being mounted in an adjustable outboard relationat either side of the caster wheel l8. Each planter unit comprises apair of framebrackets 26 on which supporting wheels 21 and a plantingwheel 28 are mounted and which extend forwardly and are connected to atransverse square tool bar 3|. A furrow opener 25 is positionedforwardly of each planting wheel 28. The frame members 26 of eachplanter unit are also connected to asleeve 32 and the front pair ofsleeves 32 are slidably journalled on the pipe [1. The transverse squaretool bar or supporting element 3| is common to both of theseunits andserves to connect them rigidly to each other and to the end of theT-frame where the frame is pivoted at the front end on the transversepipe I! by a horizontally'disposed bearing or journal means 33. Therespective planter units are adjustably clamped to the square tool bar3! in a conventional manner, and the'bar is rigidly connected to thebearing 33.

It will be seen therefore that the two front planter units areconnectedto each other and to the T-frame M to move therewith as a unit. Also thefront ground wheels l6 are secured on transversely aligned, downwardlyand rearwardly extending arms or depending portions 33 from the ends ofthe pipe I! so that by forward movement of the wheels Hi from theposition seen in Figure 2 to the position seen in Figure 3, the front ofthe T-frame and the planters supported thereby will be lifted bodilyfrom the ground. A seat structure 31 for the front pair of planters issupported by bracket means 38 on a pivot 39 on respective brackets 40 ofthe draft connection and rest on the transverse pipe I! when in up rightposition. This seat structure can be swung forwardly to anout-of-the-way position when desired.

The rear pair of planter units 22 are adjustably mounted on the crossbar of the T and are similarly connected by a second square tool bar ortransverse supporting element 3| to each other and the frame for bodilylifting movement. The cross bar of the T as previously described isprovided with a bracket structure 2| which pivotally supports athree-armed bellcrank member 9 for swinging movement about a transverseaxis. One rearwardly extending arm of the bellcrank is rigidly connectedto a kingpin housing 4! and this kingpin housing has a flange 42 whichis apertured to receive a latch lever 43 urged by spring 64 to activeposition about its pivot 45 on the bellcrank Hi. The latch lever iscontrolled by a cord or line 46 from the front of the machine. Asupporting arm 41 for the ground engaging caster wheel extendsdownwardly and rearwardly from its connection to the king pin. Thecaster 3 wheel is held in straight ahead position by the latch member4|.

An upwardly projecting arm of the bellcrank I9 is connected to thepiston rod of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 52 having lines 53extending forwardly to the tractor. Also it will be seen that thebellcrank has a depending or downwardly projecting arm which ispivotally connected by a horizontal stiff link 51 with a pair ofdepending arms 58' secured to the transverse pipe ll. Thus uponoperation of the cylinder the bellcrank i9 is swung rearwardly orcounterclockwise and a linkage, comprising arms 58 and link 57 and thedownwardly projecting arm of bellcrank i9 is employed to urge both thefront wheels and the caster wheel forwardly to lift the frame and theimplements entirely out of the ground, i. e., moving the parts from theposition shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in- 3. During the timethat the supporting structure ism-turning, the latch tor the caster.wheel is re leased so that free castering movement is provided during,turns.

While I have shown and-described apreferred embodiment of the invention.it: is capable of variation therefrom within the "scope of the appendedclaim.

I claim:

In an implement supporting structure trail, ingly attached to a towingvehiclepcomprising in combination, -a T-shapedmain frame with the leg ofthe T extending longitudinally and the cross bar of the T locatedrear-wardly "andextending horizontally, horizontally disposed journalmeans secured to saidxlegat thetrout end thereof, a horizontal"transverse member .journaled for rotation in saidjournal means, saidmember having a depending portion extending downwardly and rearwardlyfrom each of its ends, said portions being transversely aligned and eachcarrying a ground wheel, a first transverse. supporting element securedto=said journal means below the same and parallel to'said'memb312 3;first pair of ground working implements joui'riale'd on said member andfixed tosaid element with an implement disposed on each side of-saidleg, a second transverse supporting elementsecured to said cross barbelow and parallel to the same, a second pair of implements 4 secured tosaid cross bar and second element, a bellcrank having three arms mountedon said cross bar for swinging movement about a transverse axis, one ofsaid arms extending rearwardly 5 and having a ground engaging casterwheel mounted on the same, another arm of said bellcrank projectingupwardly, the third arm of said bellcrank projecting downwardly, adepending arm. fixed to said member, astifi' link pivotally i0connecting; said depending arm and said third arm, and meansconnected'between said leg and said upwardly projecting arm of saidbellcrank to swing said bellcrank rearwardly and move said wheelstorwardlyrrelative to said frame to lift the. frame and the implements.

BRUNO DA VALLE.

References Cited in the file of this patent 00 UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date.

37,988 Van Brocklin. lviar. 24,1863 190,460 Wilson May 8,187? 276,483Lee Apr. 24,1383 331,503 Johnston Dec. 1,1885 864,899 Clayton. June14,188: 421,410 Lindgren Feb. 18,1890 479,242 Campbell 1---..- July19,1892; 571,307 Haiman et aL. Nov. 10,1896 782,140. Tinsman .June30,1998 809,238 'Iiemann Jan. 2,1908 980,113 McKee. -1 ..Dec.T2!Z,"19101,024,534 'Sucho'ltz. Apr. 30, 1912 1,361,906 Ruppreclit 1..---."Dec..'14, 1920 1,381,374 Waterman June 14, 1921; 1,740,841 Smith Dec.v24,1929 1,861,626 .Fiatley. June '1', .1932. 1,886,457 Winkle}? Nov. .8,.1932. 1,931,815 Conley Oct. 24, .1933 m 2,407,094 Morkoski .Sept. 3,..1946 2,410,918 Acton Nov. '12, .1946 2,531,557 Dayton 'Nov..'28, .19502,534,798 'Schnei'der Dec. 19' I950.

- FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 39,030 France June1f1931 (AdditiontoNo.668,397) 668,831 France July'22, 1929

